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Model-as-Use

A model is a role functionally depends on certain situation in place of something else being modeled, this is what I called model as use. In any practical case, there are certain relations around a working model, which form a working system of the model. The basic elements are identified and shown in a UML class … Continue reading →

In my understanding, a holistic view to modeling relationship is very important and somewhat neglected, where raising the triple relation of a model with its target (original) and the subject (human or agent) is the first step towards to a holistic view of modeling. Based on his great review of a huge amount of literature … Continue reading →

Zhu Bajie is a famous monster in Chinese mythology, half man and half pig. Can he be a fashion model too? See the declarative sentence, “she is a woman” and “she is a model”, in which “is a” has different meanings: the former means that she is essentially a woman; the latter means that she is … Continue reading →

In “The Model Muddle: Proposals for an Immodest Realism”, Marx W. Wartofsky said[1]: There is an additional trivial truth, which may strike some people as shocking: anything can be a model of anything else! This implies that between any two things there is at least one property they both share. It reminds me of the … Continue reading →

In the General Model Theory[1] Stachowiak defined a n-tuple with model[2]. It appears that very consistent with the definition on model as use. Stachowiak defined <M, O, K, t, Z> as a n-tuple of five parameters (of which) comprising an object O and a model M representing the functional operation F, M= F(O). The object … Continue reading →

It seems widely recognized, simplification (or abbreviation, reduction; it also very related to abstract, see this post) is an unquestionable features to the concept of model. In my opinion, however, it is not absolute or necessary but just a widespread feature of model. It is absolute to just some sort of model, for example, the … Continue reading →

These days, I participated in some interesting discussions about Visual Thinking and model, and saw the proposition on the blog of Model Practice: “essentially all models are wrong, but some are useful” by Scott E. Page in the online lecture Model Thinking, and the comment by the blogger (|=), “without being ‘wrong’ (i.e. loosing details) … Continue reading →